international

Sixty-six years ago, Marti Dalmases’ father signed him up as a member of the FC Barcelona fan club. The 73-year-old estimates he’s now seen about 2,500 matches. He talked with Only A Game’s Ian Mount about the politics of soccer in Spain, archrival Real Madrid and next week’s Copa Del Rey Final, which Barca will be looking to win.

American basketball player Mychal Kearse brings “a dose of swagger” to professional basketball in Iraq, Tamer El-Ghobashy writes for the Wall Street Journal. El-Ghobashy joins Bill Littlefield to explain what life is like for Kearse and other Americans playing in the Iraqi Superleague.

After years of speculation and anticipation, American Floyd Mayweather and Filipino Manny Pacquiao have agreed to figh on May 2 in Las Vegas. Grantland’s Rafe Bartholomew once lived in the Philippines, and he joins Bill Littlefield to discuss the country’s devotion to their boxer/actor/singer/congressman.

Afghanistan’s first trip to the Cricket World Cup may be “an early contender for the most remarkable and unlikely sports storyline of 2015,” writes USA Today Sports reporter Martin Rogers. He joins Only A Game’s Karen Given to explain.

Seventeen years ago, Matías Anguita was smoking as many as three packs of cigarettes a day. Then he quit and started running. Now, he hopes his grueling, two-marathon-a-day trek will inspire others in a country with a widespread smoking problem to quit the habit.

The official draw for groups for the 2015 women’s World Cup is scheduled for Dec. 6. Meanwhile, the dispute over plans to use artificial turf at the competition is ongoing. Bill Littlefield weighs in on the situation.

The Brazilian state of Amazonas borrowed $160 million to build a new World Cup stadium. Now that the competition’s over, many are concerned about the stadium’s future. Can it bring in enough money to pay off the debt? Sam Schramski reports from Brazil.

Located in Spain’s verdant Basque Country, Eibar shocked the soccer world in May when it became the smallest town to send a team to Spain’s top league — ever. Now, SD Eibar prepares to take on Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid. From Barcelona, Ian Mount has the story.